The Iowa State University campus contains over 160 buildings, several of which are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

.It's a Fact: Iowa State University
. Iowa State University website.

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

's campus, specifically its Central Campus, has been recognized as one of the nation's most beautiful and was listed as a "medallion site" by the

American Society of Landscape Architects The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is a professional association for landscape architects in the United States. The ASLA's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education, and fellowship ...

in 1999.

Campus

Iowa State's main campus features 490 acres of trees, plants and classically designed buildings. The concept of an open central campus encircled by buildings, was the vision of Iowa State's first president,

Adonijah Welch Adonijah Strong Welch (April 12, 1821March 14, 1889) was a United States Senator from Florida and the first president of Iowa State Agricultural College (now Iowa State University). Welch also served as Michigan State Normal School's first princi ...

. The campus is dominated by a large 20 acre central lawn known as Central Campus. Along with the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, ISU's central campus was listed as a "medallion site" by the

in 1999. It was listed as one of 25 most beautiful sites in the United States in the book ''The Campus as a Work of Art''.

Fountain of Four Seasons

The fountain was sculpted by Christian Petersen in 1941 after a request from Iowa State President Charles Friley. The previous fountain was a vertical water tower on which students would place

toilet seat A toilet seat is a hinged unit consisting of a round or oval open seat, and usually a lid, which is bolted onto the bowl of a toilet used in a sitting position (as opposed to a squat toilet). The seat can be either for a flush toilet or a dry to ...

s. President Friley hoped that with a new, beautiful fountain, students would no longer make jokes of it.

Lake LaVerne

Named for Dr. LaVerne W. Noyes, who also donated the funds to see that Alumni Hall could be completed after sitting unfinished and unused from 1905 to 1907. Dr. Noyes is an 1872 alumnus. Lake LaVerne is located west of the Memorial Union and south of Alumni Hall, Carver Hall, and Music Hall. The lake was a gift from Dr. Noyes in 1916. Lake LaVerne is the home of two mute swans named Sir Lancelot and Elaine, donated to Iowa State by

VEISHEA VEISHEA (pronounced "VEE-sha") was an annual week-long celebration held each spring on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The celebration featured a parade and many open-house demonstrations of the university facilities and depar ...

1935. In 1944, 1970, and 1971 cygnets (baby swans) made their home on Lake LaVerne. Previously Sir Lancelot and Elaine were

trumpeter swan The trumpeter swan (''Cygnus buccinator'') is a species of swan found in North America. The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest extant species of waterfowl, with a wingspan of 185 to 250 cm (6 ft 2 in to 8 ft 2 ...

s but were too aggressive and in 1999 were replaced with two mute swans. In early 2002 Sir Lancelot suffered a broken foot from chasing a campus lawnmower. Sir Lancelot underwent surgery at Iowa State's College of Veterinary Medicine, but after months of physical therapy efforts in returning him to Lake LaVerne were unsuccessful. Early spring 2003 Lake LaVerne welcomed is new and current mute swan duo. However, in support of DNR efforts to re-establish the trumpeter swans in Iowa, university officials avoided bringing breeding pairs of male and female mute swans to Iowa State which means the current Sir Lancelot and Elaine are both female.

Marston Water Tower

Iowa State is the home of the first elevated steel water tank west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. Named the Marston Water Tower, it was erected in 1897 under the supervision and design of Anson Marston and his assistant Elmina Wilson. The water tower was constructed due to a severe water shortage in 1895 that forced cancellation of classes. In 1978, the water tower was disconnected when the university switched to municipal water. It was listed in the

on May 27, 1982 and restored in 1987. The water tower stands 168 feet (51 m) tall on an octagonal base. The tank holds 162,000 US gallons (613 m³) and is 24 feet (7 m) in diameter and 40 feet (12 m) tall. When full, the ~72,400 cubic feet (2,050 m³) of water would weigh 2,050 t.

Reiman Gardens

Roy Reiman is a 1957 graduate of Iowa State in agriculture journalism and he is the founder of Reiman Publications. The Reiman Gardens are named for Roy and his wife Bobbi who donated $1.3 million to begin their development. Located south of

Jack Trice Stadium Jack Trice Stadium (originally Cyclone Stadium and formerly Jack Trice Field, sometimes referred to as "the Jack") is a stadium located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the Iowa State Cyc ...

. Opened in 1995, the gardens have grown to become the largest public garden in the state. The popular Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing was opened in November 2002.

Veenker Memorial Golf Course

Named for George F. Veenker, head football coach at Iowa State from 1931 to 1936. He was also Athletic Director from 1933 until 1945. The golf course was completed in 1938 and given its current name in 1959.

Research farm

The Western Iowa Experimental Farm is to be found in Castana.

Current buildings

This is an incomplete listing of buildings at

. Click on the building title for additional building information.

Past buildings

Timeline

Facilities

The Iowa State University/Ames

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

is on the campus grounds, at the Knapp-Storms Commons. The Ames-ISU Student

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

used to be in the Lab of Mechanics, Room 109. The chapter was established in 1887. It became affiliated with the national YMCA in 1900. Originally in Alumni Hall, it moved to Room 109 in 1993.

References

{{Coord, 42, 01, 35, N, 93, 38, 47, W, format=dms, display=title, name=Iowa State University, type:edu_region:US-IA Iowa State University buildings and structures